I’ve had two similar experiences with The Ladders. One was a job posted by the employer’s HR, where the job was constructed around me. It was posted on Monster, and picked up by The Ladders as a 100k+ job. Turned out they only wanted to pay 80-90, and couldn’t see that I’d be satisfied with that, in the beginning. The Ladders created an expectation’s gap, which fed the HR insecurity of the hiring firm, and mis-set expectations.

I observed a second case of exactly this same thing, where a defense contractor steadfastly maintained they had NEVER listed with The Ladders..and did not intend to pay 100k, period.

I figure The Ladders has cost me on the order of $250,000, so far. Plus membership.